


Back for Good

by pearlydewdrop



Series: Maybe It's The Crazy I Like [1]
Category: Derry Girls (TV)
Genre: ...but they figure it out!, A Soft Disaster Romance, Adorkable, Almost Kiss, Awkward Crush, Awkward Romance, Both of them being absolute eejits!, Cuties, Developing Relationship, Dorks in Love, Epic Friendship, Erin Being an Awkward Drama Queen, Erin and James are terrible at communication!, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, F/M, First Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, James Being a Lovesick Puppy, Kissing, Late Night Conversations, Lovable Eejits!, Mayhem, Pining, Post-Season/Series 02, Resolved Romantic Tension, Romantic Comedy, Secret Relationship, Sharing Headphones, Sleepovers, Teenage Dorks, The Author Regrets Nothing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Typical Derry Girls Nuttiness, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, hopefully funny
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 09:34:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25348534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pearlydewdrop/pseuds/pearlydewdrop
Summary: James quietly hoped that Erin's song choice had been every bit as intentional as he dared to imagine...Follow the lives of our five favourite Derry Girls (including the wee English fella!) as they navigate the trials and tribulations of young love, growing up and the everyday chaotic craziness of being a teenager. This story contains awkward romance, almost kisses, wholesome friendships, near misses with the authorities (better known as...their mammies!), plenty of step aerobics and all the wonderful outrageous insanity that we associate with Derry Girls.Post Season 2.
Relationships: James Maguire/Erin Quinn, The Friendship Between All Five Derry Girls
Series: Maybe It's The Crazy I Like [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2032138
Comments: 97
Kudos: 216





	1. Back for Good

**Back for Good**

_..._

_Whatever I said, whatever I did_   
_I didn't mean it_   
_I just want you back for good_   
_Whenever I'm wrong_   
_Just tell me the song and I'll sing it_   
_You'll be right and understood_   
_I want you back for good_

_~Back for Good, Take That._

_..._

Cold hands buried deep inside the pockets of blue denim jackets, Erin Quinn and James Maguire trailed a few feet behind their fellow Derry Girls. Michelle strutted out into the night as aggressively loud and shit faced as ever, hands thrown drunkenly up into the air. Clare was hot on her trail, struggling for the life of her to keep up.

"For God's sake, Michelle", she hissed warningly, shooting an anxious glance up at the bedroom windows of their neighbours. "You'll wake up the whole street."

"Ach piss off, Clare. Learn to live a little, will ya!"

Meanwhile, Orla floated along ahead, mumbling softly about Coco Pops and cocktail sausages...perfectly happy in her own little world.

It had been just over a week since James had jumped out of the taxi his mother had ordered, declaring himself a Derry Girl and refusing to leave his friends.

Silently, Erin tossed him one of her headphones, offering him a lopsided half smile that eased his mind and let him know that whatever happened from now on, they'd be just fine.

Wordlessly complying with her wishes, James slipped proffered headphone into his ear and watched as she pushed the play button on her Walkman.

Within an instant, he found himself grinning foolishly as the familiar melody filled his left ear, complete with the unmistakable voices of Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow. James quietly hoped that Erin's song choice had been every bit as intentional as he dared to imagine; _'Back for Good'_ by Take That.

"You were right, you know? I do love it here."

Erin nodded curtly, as though she had expected nothing else. However, when she finally responded, her tone was cocky in a way that James wouldn't call entirely genuine.

"Of course you do. I'm always right, eh?"

"You definitely like to think so", he teased gently, earning an elbow in the side that drove him stumbling clean off the footpath. Still joined by the wires of Erin's headphones, he watched her for a moment from the edge of the curb...completely unable to look away.

Even in the semi-darkness, James saw Erin perfectly; the curve of her button nose, her light blonde hair, the slight glint in her blue-grey eyes.

His heart swelled slightly at the look of happiness and affection on her face. It made his toes curl inside his shoes, as un-macho an admission as it may sound.

Vaguely, James wondered to himself when Erin had stopped being one of his four favourite Derry Girls and started to become the first girl he ever really truly fancied.

Was it when he'd seen her all quietly confident in her Easter dress, ready to tackle whatever faced them at their school prom? Was it when she'd determinedly stood up for Orla at the talent show, putting family and friendship before everything else? Or was it even earlier on when she'd ruthlessly dogged him at Jenny Joyce's party, adamant he wouldn't loose his virginity to someone who didn't love him properly?

In all honesty, James wasn't sure. All he knew was that there was absolutely nothing he could do to erase the strange, mad, wonderful way Erin made his heart race.

"I'm glad you're here", she said softly, linking her arm through his as they began making their way towards the others. "...even if you are an English fella."

James smiled sheepishly, looking down from the bright edges of Erin's playful smile to their feet side by side on the pavement, shadows stretching out behind them into the Derry night.

"Me too."

* * *

**A/N: Would anyone be interested in reading more? What did you guys think?**


	2. I Think We're Alone Now

**I Think We're Alone Now.**

_..._

_Running just as fast as we can_

_Holdin' on to one another's hand_

_Tryin' to get away into the night_

_And then you put your arms around me_

_And we tumble to the ground_

_And then you say..._

_~Tiffany, I Think We're Alone Now_

_..._

"For feck's sake, Orla!", Erin spluttered indignantly, spitting out a mouthful of her cousin's bushy brown curls.

It appeared Orla had taken her passion for step aerobics to new heights. Legs, arms and hair flying in all directions, she was now doing full blown routines in her fucking sleep! _Oh joy!_

Trashing in frustration, Erin blocked Orla's flailing limbs that seemed hell-bent on attacking her from all angles. After an impromptu study sleepover at Clare's house, her four best friends all seemed to be out like lights...all except for her.

What was she going to do if she couldn't sleep? Erin was sure she would fail all of her Christmas exams, be murdered by her mother, never go to college and ultimately end up facing the travesty that would come with not having shared the _brilliance_ of her written word with mankind!

Her life would be over! Erin Quinn would need a plot in her back garden beside the empty casket of her beloved _not-dead-dog_!

"MICHELLE! NOO! We can't! I won't! We'll be expelled! Sweet sufferin' Jesus! Girls, Michelle's gone feckin' mad!"

Erin sighed dramatically.

It was just her luck! Not only was she destined to be bothered by Orla's nocturnal gymnastics but by Clare's frenzied midnight rambles as well.

She found herself forced to listen to the smaller blonde thrashing around in her bed, several feet above the other Derry Girls who were piled together under blankets on the bedroom floor.

Clare's voice was full of its typical squeaky anxiety paired, rather bizarrely, with the tell-tale heaviness of sleep. 

Just about ready to give in and accept her fate, Erin turned over on her other side and landed squarely against something surprisingly warm and solid.

_Shit!_

Too caught up in her attempts to escape Orla and Clare, she'd forgotten how close James had been to her when they'd first gone to sleep. She shuffled away from him with a sort of panicky gracelessness, her face flushing bright red. 

Erin watched James carefully for a moment, desperately trying to ignore how her whole body heated up at their sudden proximity; face, neck and cheeks all burning like the sun in the semi-darkness.

How she'd ended up fancying the pants off Michelle's dorky English cousin, Erin could never quite make sense of.

_...or could she?_

She took in the sight of James's chestnut curls, broad shoulders, dark eyelashes, cracker eyebrows (that he'd apparently inherited from his ma) and full pink lips that usually formed an admittedly adorable smile.

It wasn't Erin's fault that James Maguire had turned into a massive ride! No fucking way! That was all on him!

Her stomach filled with nervous butterflies and despite herself, her mind returned to the night of Jenny Joyce's 50s style prom.

Erin thought of how James had shown up on her doorstep with a rather goofy grin. All decked out in his Doctor Who costume, he'd offered to be her stand-in date and waited patiently for her to change. Erin was certain she'd never forget the partially amazed/partially shy expression on his face when she'd walked down the stairs in her Easter dress...a thought that still caused her to feel just a wee bit giddy.

Not only was James good looking, but he was also a truly sweet fella... something that was a first for her. That being said, Erin could hardly ignore the fact that he was Michelle's cousin...something that caused its own host of problems.

"You can't sleep either?"

Suddenly jolted back to the present, Erin was surprised to find James's eyes wide open. He observed her with an earnest sort of concern and kindness that she could only ever associate with him.

Baffled for a moment, she hoped to God that he hadn't noticed her staring at him. Forget being a deer caught in the headlights, Erin's head was cocked sideways at a forty five degree angle like a startled chicken!

Taking a deep breath, she composed herself quickly...forcing her voice into something that even halfway resembled her normal tone.

"Aye, Orla woke me up...stupid feckin' step aerobics. So much for Aunt Sarah sayin' she'll go all the way. All the way to givin' me bruised shins more like."

At this James laughed, his eyes lighting up noticeably despite the fact that the room was very nearly dark. Erin quite liked the sound of his laugh, even if she'd never admit to such a thing aloud.

Silently, she congratulated herself on her acting skills. Managing to convince James into believing that she'd actually spent the last five minutes thinking about anything other than the the warmth of his smile and the new-found broadness of his shoulders was, in her book, no mean feat...no mean feat at all.

"I suppose I can sympathise with your cousin troubles", James replied with a good natured smile. "Michelle woke me up a while ago with all her bloody snoring. She's quietened down now though."

Erin nodded, smirking slightly. "I reckon thirteen years of sleepovers with Michelle has made me fairly immune to that. Cryin' shame it doesn't work for Orla's shenanigans."

Timing as impeccable as ever, Orla's arm once again swung rather wildly off course and headed straight in the direction of her cousin's face.

Chuckling quietly as he watched Erin duck out of her way, James shook his head with unmistakable fondness. "That might be for the best", he comment teasingly, shuffling his blankets a few feet away from Erin's. "We don't want any accidents...or at least no more than usual."

She frowned distractedly, ignoring his words in favour of his actions. In all honesty, Erin found herself confused (and admittedly a wee bit disappointed) to see James wanting to create more distance between them.

"I've a little extra space on my other side if you'd like me to shove over a bit", he said by means of explanation.

Erin sighed, surprisingly relieved. So he wasn't trying to get away from her!

"You're a saint, James Maguire!", she told him genuinely, scrambling away from Orla who now seemed to be doing a very fine impersonation of a windmill. "Just don't tell Michelle I said that."

James smiled sheepishly. "Your secret's safe with me", he teased gently. "It's the least I can do after you helped me get ready for the poetry test tomorrow."

Beaming rather proudly, Erin shrugged. While Clare would have been the most obvious choice for anyone in their group to go to with academic trouble, James had come to her earlier on that night with one of Eavan Boland's trickier poems. "Well, it was every bit as good of you to help me with maths homework...that and you missed your creep convention to take me to prom."

James smiled, seeming to have noticed how the affectionate tone of Erin's voice combated her age old ribbing of all things English. "Doctor Who Night", he amended playfully as they once again settled down side by side.

"You know", Erin started, feeling a sudden surge of awkward bumbling bravery. Her next words rocketed out like a runaway freight train before she could completely loose her nerve. "What with they whole hullabaloo of gettin' Carrie-ed and all, I never got around to thankin' you for showin' up that night. You were an absolute gent."

Ducking his head, James only grinned in return. His cheeks darkened as he avoided her eye, a wee bit abashed and visibly fearful that he'd muddle up his words. "It was a pleasure, Erin. John Paul...well, he was a real tosser for standing you up."

Erin beamed quietly. In all honesty, she had stopped regretting the fact that her former crush hadn't showed up the night of the prom ages ago.

She glanced across at James, his nose less than a foot from her own, and felt the increasingly familiar urge to kiss him. James was one of her best friends... _one of her own._ Erin didn't have to be anyone but herself around him. 

The look in his dark green eyes was just the right blend of shy and sweet to draw her in, as though in a heady trance, until they were only a few inches apart.

"Do you...um...?"

"Do you?"

Both equally nervous, Erin felt James's hands fumble awkwardly at her sides before slipping around her waist. Only centimetres apart, they both laughed quietly, careful not to wake the girls...gradually feeling more at ease with one another. She let her fingers wander into James's hair as his hands slipped up her back, caressing softly.

This! This felt right and familiar and wonderful and—

"YES ROBBIE! TAKE THAT SHIRT OFF!"

As though electrocuted, Erin and James jumped apart...still looking totally dazed by what very nearly happened between them. Together they glanced across the room, just about making out the devilish grin of a sleeping Michelle in the darkness.

"Is she...dreaming about Robbie Williams?", James asked, evidently torn between feeling disgusted or just downright unsurprised.

Erin flopped back on her own pillow, unsure of whether she was angry or relieved by the interruption. Either way, tonight was certainly going to change things.

"Fuck's sake Michelle, I think I'm goin' to boke!"

_..._

_I think we're alone now_   
_There doesn't seem to be anyone around_   
_I think we're alone now_   
_The beating of our hearts is the only sound_

_~Tiffany, I Think We're Alone Now_

_..._

* * *

**Would you still be interested in reading more?? I hope, if anything, this gave you a little something to giggle about. Hope you enjoyed it! Have a lovely day :)**

**Let me know if you have any requests for 80s/90s songs for me to write a chapter based off of...I think each one is going to based off a different song.**

**Pearlydewdrop xx**


	3. Waiting for a Star to Fall

**Waiting for a Star to Fall**

...

_Trying to catch your heart_

_Is like trying to catch a star_

_But I can't love you this much baby_

_And love you from this far_

_~Boy Meets Girl, Waiting for a Star to Fall_

_..._

Erin Quinn wasn't the calmest person in the world ( _not even close!)_ and her morning so far had been...uncomfortable to say the least.

The current painfully awkward situation had, surprisingly, nothing to do with how Michelle was loudly recounting ( _over breakfast no less!_ ) her series of fairly bizarre dreams from the night before.

Neither had it anything to do with how Orla had come ridiculously close to setting fire to Geraldine Devlin's 'good' table cloth or how Clare was sitting in silence, convinced her mother was surer than ever before of her friends' delinquency, looking two seconds away from a cack attack of epic proportions.

Erin hadn't even noticed much of the exchange. It was hard to concentrate on anything her fellow Derry Girls were saying or doing because James was sitting next to her. _Right_ next to her.

His fingers had brushed against hers over the sugar bowel not once, not twice but three feckin' times! And right now, she was loosing her shit. No, the shit was already lost!

_Damn him!_

_Stupid feckin' James!_

A shy smile tugged at the corner of James's lips and Erin found herself, quite unapologetically, watching him out of the corner of her eye. She felt her cheeks flush and hoped to God her face wasn't as red as it felt.

_Was the Devlins' kitchen table always this small? Did James have to look at her like that? Had he always looked at her like that? Had she just not noticed it until now? And what the actual fuck was she supposed to say to him after last night?_

Decidedly Erin glanced back across the table, trying to snap herself out of whatever absolute madness had descended upon her and James the night before. She huffed in frustration, feeling torn in half a dozen different directions.

James was a Derry Girl; a part of the gang and as much a part of Erin as her three best girls. She couldn't fancy him. She wasn't supposed to fancy him.

But she did.. _.feck's sake!_

Annoyed with both James and herself, Erin tried to tune into the girls' conversation.

Orla nodded fervently at all the appropriate moments in Michelle's story, chipping in with every possible burning question about Robbie Williams's really shiny hair. Clare's eyes ping-ponged between her mother and her friends in pure panic, mouthing furiously to Michelle to shut up.

It was too bad she was only starting to get going...

Grinning wickedly, Michelle shared one particular dream in obscenely specific detail. In summary, the world famous Take That singer had emerged dripping wet from a lake ( _Regency Era Colin Firth style)_ in a black leather speedo.

Erin snorted into her toast, gaze falling ( _Ahh bollocks it!)_ once again on James who, clearly having tried to distract himself in the same manner she had, was smirking at his cousin's characteristically wild tirade.

He glanced over his shoulder, eyes seeking out and catching Erin's. His smirk faltered slightly and he tried to smile. Shifting awkwardly, James's spoon of cornflakes missed his mouth by at least two inches, dribbling milk and slightly soggy cereal onto Clare's Mam's 'good' table cloth. Immediately, his face flared up bright red.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs Devlin."

Erin bit her lip, feeling her throat tighten and her heart skip a beat. James wiped his chin, glancing away in embarrassment.

He'd been looking at her. James had made a fool of himself looking at her! While Erin was admittedly fairly used to tying herself up in knots around fellas she liked, tripping over her own words and landing flat on her arse ( _sometimes literally as well as figuratively_ ), she'd never been on the receiving end of attention like that before.

Erin squirmed, feeling more and more flustered by the second and tore her eyes away from James. Desperately, she tried to ignore the curious tingling feeling that she felt in the pit of her stomach. It made Erin think of unexpected ( _but downright perfect!)_ prom dates in stripy scarves, shining green eyes that she'd know even in the semi-darkness and fumblingly nervous hands under blankets.

It reminded her, very starkly, of the night before. Erin had experienced that same tingling feeling when she'd very nearly kissed James ( _or he'd kissed her_ ). Either way, she found herself wanting to have another crack at it...kissing James that is. Kissing her friend.

Michelle glanced up, completely oblivious to the ' _about-as-subtle-as-a-brick'_ glance that had passed between Erin and James.

"Christ's sake, Jamesie! We'll have to get you a feckin' dribbler next!"

...

_Waiting for a star to fall_  
_And carry your heart into my arms_  
_That's where you belong_  
_In my arms baby, yeah_

_~Boy Meets Girl, Waiting for a Star to Fall._

_..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait!!! The next chapter (hopefully) won't take as long next time since I have the outline and dialogue written. 
> 
> Also 'dribbler' is a feeding bib for small children and babies.


	4. How Will I Know

**How Will I Know?**

_..._

_There's a boy I know, he's the one I dream of_

_Looks into my eyes, takes me to the clouds above,_

_Oh, I lose control, can't seem to get enough, uh-huh_

_When I wake from dreaming, tell me is it really love._

_~Whitney Houston, How Will I Know._

_..._

Even though she had several inches of height on her friend, Erin still struggled to match Clare's panicky adrenaline fuelled strides

She huffed, attempting to swallow the defensive retort that was still stuck at the back of her throat as they rushed down the corridor, away from the noise and bustle of the school lunch hall.

"Jesus Christ, will ya hold yer horses!"

The soles of their Dr Marten shoes skidded to a halt and Clare whirled around to face Erin. Her eyes were wide, practically bulging with shock, as though it was only now that she had fully processed what Erin had whispered to her several minutes earlier.

"What do you mean you _nearly_ kissed James? "You can't _nearly kiss_ James! People don't go around _nearly kissin' James_!"

Clare's voice grew slightly higher and faster with every passing sentence and Erin barely suppressed the urge to clap a hand over her friend's mouth.

"Wind yer neck in, Clare!", she hissed, grasping her by the elbow and steering them both into an empty classroom where they wouldn't be overheard. "You'd hardly understand the appeal...bein' a wee lesbian and all."

Arms folded, Clare rolled her eyes impatiently. "Maybe not, but I do know that someone who goes around fancyin' one of their friends is bound to make an absolute hames of things in the long run."

Erin guffawed, nostrils flaring slightly. She tried desperately ( _and failed utterly!_ ) to hide her blatantly obvious discomfort at her friend's accusation. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Oh yeah? What if ye break up?", Clare spat, the telltale waver of anxiety in her voice only gaining momentum. "What then, Erin? Even with all her whingin' and whinin', Michelle'll obviously take James's side and Orla'll back you up...in her own way. Where does that leave me?"

She sounded about two seconds away from a full blown cack attack, one that Erin was coming damn near close to joining her in.

"This isn't about you, Clare", the taller blonde snapped, a sense of dread creeping into the pit of her stomach at the thought of this _thing_ with James not working out. It could totally ruin their gang...a thought Erin didn't want to even entertain.

"Fair enough, we'll make it about you then. You fancy a new fella every week! How's this any different?"

Fumbling, Erin tried to put her bizarrely mixed up and downright rambley feelings into words.

She thought of James; his kindness, his thoughtfulness and the warmth that just sorta radiated from him.

Erin thought of how she'd seen him piss in a rubbish bin, how James been there when she'd make an absolute buck eejit of herself in front of other lads she'd fancied in the past. She'd seen him be won over by that terrifying Ukrainian (who'd had _real actual_ condoms!) and James had already sat through a countless number of her admittedly quite theatrical rants. 

Somehow, even though she knew such shared experiences would be enough to put most people immovably in the friend zone forever, Erin realised her feelings for James had probably grown amidst the chaos.

She thought of how he'd looked at her as they walked home from the prom (plastered head to toe with tomato sauce), how he'd smiled at her the night before when they'd nearly kissed and how they'd shared at least a dozen blush inducing glances all morning before Clare had finally started to catch on.

Silently going through the steadily growing list of incidences, Erin tried to root out the real reason why James could suddenly make her feel all weak at the knees. The whole situation was equal parts confusing, exhilarating and completely terrifying.

"It's not like that this time! Its-its—James! But I haven't a feckin' clue what to do about any of it. I've never been in a relationship that could actually be..."

" _Real_?", Clare added helpfully, her eyebrows raised.

Scoffing, Erin's ego wouldn't let her agree with her friend's summation of the whole John Paul O' Reily and David Donnelly fiascos ...even if she would admit that whatever was going on _(or not quite going on!)_ with James did feel quite a bit _different_ to anything she'd experienced before.

"I s'ppose I've never _almost_ been in a relationship that had the potential to be this... _official_ ", Erin finished somewhat awkwardly, pointedly ignoring Clare's suggestion.

The smaller blonde snorted in amusement, her reaction sounding almost normal. The familiar sound put both of the girls just a little bit at ease.

Feeling as though she needed to say it aloud to someone, Erin glanced away from Clare. She was aware that she was making intense eye contact with the ground but she really didn't know where else to look as she let the next words stumble out of her mouth.

"I think I might actually really _like_ James. Like, _actually like_ him. A wee bit nuts, isn't it?"

Erin looked up, surprised by the kind smile playing about her friend's lips. For the first time since hearing the news, Clare looked calm. Almost as though Erin's lengthy silence and uncharacteristically direct confession had somehow settled her fears.

"So it's more than just you goin' crackers for the first fella who's been half way decent to you, eh?", she asked, almost rhetorically.

Worrying her lip, Erin nodded anyway. "Yeah, I think it might be—ahh, just a bit more serious than that, ya know?"

Clare sighed, patting her friend soothingly on the shoulder. "Alright then, I'll keep my nose out of it. Just please be careful, Erin. I don't want to see either of ye gettin' hurt. Or doin' anythin' stupid."

Erin found herself nodding once again. The dread was still very much there, heavy in the pit of her stomach. This _thing_ with James...she couldn't afford to feck it up.

"Me neither."

Suddenly, Clare let out a totally unexpected snort of laughter, one that morphed into a chuckle then turned into full bellied laughter. Erin shot her a startled look.

"Michelle'll go ballistic when she finds out about all this. You fancyin' James!", Clare said smiling. "Sweet Jesus, can you imagine?"

Erin rolled her eyes, a reluctant smile twitching at the side of her mouth. While she loved Michelle to pieces, that _particular_ conversation was one that she was really _really_ not looking forward to. She linked her arm with Clare's as they began to head back towards the others.

"Ya know, I reckon I might have to tell James first actually."

_..._

_How will I know if he really loves me?_

_I say a prayer with every heartbeat_

_I fall in love whenever we meet_

_I'm asking you what you know about these things_

_~Whitney Houston, How Will I Know._

_..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Review and let me know what you thought!! Are you enjoying/not enjoying this story so far? Or maybe you'd just like to gush about Jerin and/or Derry Girls with me? 
> 
> What would you guys like to see in later chapters? Would you like to read more?


	5. The Right Time

**The Right Time.**

_..._

_This is the right time, once in a lifetime_   
_So I find it hard to sleep, don't you know,_   
_The sun is shining in my window, life's in flow,_   
_Makin' music in the morning, laughter's light,_   
_Creativity touches in full flight._

_~The Corrs, The Right Time_

_..._

Given her penchant for extravagant and fanciful notions, it was no surprise to anyone that Erin Quinn was a romantic at heart. Granted, she was an awkward, bumbling and easily frustrated one, but a romantic none the less.

Unfortunately for her, it had since turned out that sweeping one of your best mates off his feet wasn't quite as straightforward in practice as it had once seemed in theory...and following suit with just about everything that happened in Erin's life, nothing ( _absolutely nothing!)_ was going according to plan!

_Some dose!_

Erin was feeling jittery, edgy with nerves that would have put even Clare to shame.

A part of her didn't want things to change between her and James, not in a huge monumental way, but they couldn't keep going on as they were. Erin couldn't be dealing with that!

Clutching tight to Jame's arm, she decidedly steered both of them down the street.

"We need to talk", Erin huffed, memories of the last few days running rampant inside her head; awkward silences, lots of blushing and intense moments of eye contact with the ground. _That wasn't them!_ "Somewhere private!"

James stumbled to catch up with her, equal parts hopeful and baffled.

"Surely the middle of the street wasn't your best bet?"

Even though it was a reasonable observation, Erin eyed him cooly. "Ach, James! Yer in Derry, aren't ya? We're not exactly spoilt for choice around here when it comes to privacy!"

He stared at her for a moment, acceptance replacing confusion as it so often did in the typically bizarre scenarios they found themselves in.

Fleetingly, James was reminded of a passage from Erin's diary, one that Orla had monologued nonstop for weeks on end—something about everyone knowing everyone and just wanting to be left alone.

Ears reddening, it dawned on him that _(in this case)_ Erin wanted to be left alone _with him_.

"Fair point", James stammered out, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck.

As a consolation, she dragged both of them behind the chippy ( _not Fionnula's, mind. The ban still hadn't been lifted and Erin valued their lives more than that!_ ), she whirled around to face him—an accusatory finger pointed firmly in Jame's direction.

All at once, several weeks worth of bottled up emotions came bursting up out of her, combined—rather forcefully—with the genuine uncertainty of the previous number of days.

"You—you tried to kiss me!"

There Erin had said it! The one thing they'd both been skirting around for days; and she'd said it! Silently, she congratulated herself, realising a little too late that her declaration hadn't had the desired impact on James.

He eyed her tentatively, shifting self consciously from one foot to the other. "Yes. I tried to kiss you—but I thought you wanted me to!"

Covering her face, Erin whined aloud in frustration.

 _For Feck's Sake!_ They really weren't all that hot at this communication thing, were they?

"I did!", she insisted, rushing to clarify. "I did want ya to! Don't you see? That's what's wrong! That's why I'm pissed! Days have gone by and you've said ABSO-FECKIN'-LUTELY nothing about it!"

Brows pulling together, James seemed genuinely taken aback.

"I was waiting for _you_ to bring it up!", he replied, somewhat defensively.

Blinking in confusion, Erin regarded him. Suddenly the countless little expectant glances that James had directed at her all week made a bit more sense. He was waiting for HER to say something!

"You were?", she asked, mouth dropping open. "Why in the name of God would ya do that?"

James smirked, not unkindly. "Because I know you. And I know you like being in charge of things, Erin. Forgive me if I didn't think _this_ —", he said, gesturing vaguely between them, "—would be any different."

Erin scrunched up in her nose in distaste, not exactly liking his reasoning but finding herself unable to completely disagree with it either.

"Ach, maybe I do...just a wee bit", she conceded grudgingly, rolling her eyes at the blatant amusement that flickered in James's eyes. "Only _Sometimes_. Purely depending on the occasion though!"

He bit his lip, somehow managing to supress a grin.

Erin regarded him seriously. "That doesn't mean I want to be in charge all the time! Especially with something like this! I reckon some...I dunno, some team work may be required."

James smiled genuinely. He quite liked the sound of that; teamwork with Erin. They already worked quite well as friends. Why should a relationship be any different?

"Teamwork", he said, thinking of their joint attempts to kidnap a holy statue, dig up a not-dead-dog and a great number of other mad, unexplainable things. "That sounds rather familiar for us."

"It does, aye."

Deflating slightly, Erin sighed. "I had a bit of a cow there earlier on, eh?"

James nodded smilingly, his voice carrying a certain tenderness. "A little bit", he admitted, knowing very well that the future of any relationship that included himself and Erin would likely be filled with plenty of innocent misunderstandings (in his part) and impassioned theatrical rants (in hers). James was looking forward to it. "But it was a nice cow though."

Erin smiled sheepishly. "You think so?"

He squeezed her elbows in reassurance, his voice kind. "Of course."

Looking up at James, Erin was struck for the first time at how close together they were standing. Their proximity wouldn't have meant so much in the past, but now...well, with all things considered, having him so near to her felt pretty damn electric.

Erin's gaze flitted between James's lips and his _too-green_ eyes, her toes curling up in her boots at the hope and earnestness she saw reflected back at her. It was a funny feeling... _warm and cozy and comforting._ She rather liked it!

This moment really shouldn't have been so romantic, holed up together at the back of the chippy with fumes pouring out on them...fumes that would, on any other day, send James to boke-city. 

Unconventional, perhaps? But to Erin, it was as perfect as a moment could be.

She grinned lopsidely. "You are gonna do a bit more than stare at me now, aren't ya?"

James smiled bashfully, his cheeks pink and his voice breathy. His fingers slipped from her elbows to her waist, causing a shiver of anticipation to rush up her spine.

"Does that mean I can-"

Erin smiled softly, a feeling of pure and unadulterated giddiness welling up inside of her as she rose up on her toes to meet him.

James grinned goofily, eager to comply. "Blimey, alright! Are you sure?"

"Wise up, Love!", Erin said, with a snort of laughter as she drew him closer to her...so close she could count his eyelashes. "How much more of an invitation d'ya want?"

James chuckled softly, eyes shining at the term of endearment. His fingers came up to cup her face, causing Erin's grin to widen only further.

"I think that just about does it", he replied, finally capturing her lips with his. 

When writing in her diary later on, Erin would say her first kiss with James was the best kiss ever. True, neither of them had a bull's notion of what they were doing and the smell out the back of the chippy really would knock a horse!

But it was awkward and messy and fumbly and unconventional and so so perfectly.. _.them._

...

_This is the right time, once in a lifetime,_   
_Keep it going, let's not lose it, feel the flow,_   
_Oh, flying free in a fantasy, with you I'll go,_

_~The Corrs, The Right Time_

_..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems as though I'm on a creative streak this week! 
> 
> Song was suggested by Sitcom Fan and Saurus1994. Hope you guys liked it!


	6. Teenage Kicks

**Teenage Kicks.**

_..._

_Are teenage dreams so hard to beat?_

_Everytime she walks down the street_   
_Another girl in the neighbourhood_   
_Wish she was mine, she looks so good_

_I wanna hold her wanna hold her tight_   
_Get teenage kicks right through the night_

_~The Undertones, Teenage Kicks._

_..._

Throughly unimpressed, Michelle Mallon rolled her eyes, deftly making a swipe for the lighter in her friend's hand.

"Feck's sake!", she sneered. "Nobody lights a gas cooker like that."

Dropping her voice to a loud whisper, Clare eyed the kitchen ceiling in alarm. It was as though she expected that one wrong move would be enough to bring the wrath of a sleep-deprived Mary Quinn crashing down upon the lot of them.

"Wise up, Michelle! Left to yer devices, we'd all be burnt to a feckin' crisp!"

"We would not! Sure, how hard can makin' popcorn be? Ya just pop the feckin' corn! Even a wee'un could do it! C'mere to me, will ya?"

"No way! I'm not takin' responsibility if you blow up the kitchen! Blamin' everythin on an IRA kidnappin' won't work with Erin's Ma!"

"Ach Clare, I'm not that daft! Gimme here!"

Watching their friends bicker with vague amusement, Erin caught James's eye.

To keep up appearances, they had been sitting a good foot and a half apart, both internally imploding in an attempt to ward off the overwhelming tug of teenage hormones.

Somehow ( _fuck knows how!)_ , an evening spent introducing Clare to Stephen King's Carrie and The Shining hadn't managed to fully kill the mood.

Orla was sat completely oblivious in front of them, legs crossed like she was the Dalai-feckin'-lama himself. That is, if the Dalai Lama really buzzed off Wham Bars and his own wee toes.

_Enough was enough!_

"C'mon, you", Erin muttered, priding herself in being a great deal subtler than she truly was. In reality, she was as red as a turkey and as awkward as a cow in crutches.

But to be fair...James wasn't a whole lot better. He nodded eagerly, immediately catching her drift and her proffered hand.

Although it had been barely a week since their first kiss James already knew that look when he saw it. It was a look that had, as of late, found him and Erin snogging at the back of empty classrooms and stealing off for a few minutes alone under the noses of just about everyone they knew.

James's cheeks darkened bashfully at the thought, not to mention the unexpected smoothness of his response that left both him and Erin with shining eyes and dopey loved-up grins.

With the threat of Michelle's outrage, Mary's eagle eyes and Joe's general distaste for the English looming over their heads, keeping an illict teenage romance under wraps wasn't an easy things to do.

But hey, it was all in a day's work for a pair of Derry Girls!

"With pleasure."

* * *

To their credit, Erin and James did somehow manage to get themselves to the opposite side of a shut door...

Torn between the urge to snog each other senseless or collapse into bouts of uncontrollable giggles, her fingers caught the back of his shirt and yanked him closer to her. James stumbled slightly, catching his foot on the carpet and sending both of them crashing into the banisters.

_Giggles it was then!_

Totally dying about themselves, the young couple's laughter filled the air, doing next to nothing to compete with Clare and Michelle's arguing that still remained audible from the other side of the wall.

Through Jame's chuckling, Erin's snorting, Clare's shrieking and Michelle's endless stream of expletives, by some miracle there wasn't a stir out of Mary, Gerry or wee little Anna upstairs.

_God worked in mysterious as fuck ways!_

"Ssssh, will ya?", Erin hissed, smacking James lightly on the chest. Despite her greatest efforts, nothing in the wide earthly world could have prevented the smile that continued to twitch at the corners of her lips. "Someone'll hear!"

James grinned goofily and leaned his forehead against hers, their noses touching and his eyes still shining with...a hint of cheekiness.

_Was he teasing her?_

"I'm not the loud one, Erin...", he returned, tone sounding almost shy in spite of how his smile was anything but.

Cheeks burning, Erin guffawed and tried to cover up the wild feeling of adrenaline that coursed through her body...alongside at least half a dozen different indecent thoughts (all relating to a certain English fella!).

_Had James any clue what he did to her?...of course he did. Irresistible Gobshite..._

"You're an absolute dose, ya know that?", she told him, as much affectionate as frustrated.

Quite naturally, it had been _ALL_ James's fault that they'd nearly gotten caught red-handed the day before. True, Erin had been the one to suggest a shift behind the bushes at the bottom of the camogie pitch but his wandering hands were still very much guilty of slipping beneath her skirt as the school's under 14s team jogged past.

Thank Christ those ( _let's be honest!)_ daft-as-shite first years had blamed the noise on the mating calls of local housecats rather than immediately alerting the fully kitted out ( _part habit/part sports-gear)_ Sister Michael who definitely _definitely_ wouldn't have been so easily fooled!

James chuckled softly, his arms fumbling for a moment at Erin's waist before wrapping more self assuredly around her.. _.his girlfriend._

"But I'm your dose." 

She relaxed a little, offering him an encouraging smile and shuffling further into his embrace.

"Aye, so you are." 

Amidst the usual chaos and insanity of Erin and James's teenaged lives, the quiet and sweet moments they shared were still rare and had to be earned. However, even with their abundances of near misses and endless stream of awkward moments; this _relationship thing_ they had going...well, it was turning out to be absolutely cracker!

Tucking a stray lock of blonde hair behind her ear, James saw the emotions swirl in her eyes. Genuine happiness and, dare he say, desire. It was enough to inspire a grin on his face that would easily have been visible from the moon.

Erin's arms looped around James's neck, regarding him tenderly.

She wriggled around in his arms as his fingers skimmed ticklishly up her body, coming to rest on the apples of her cheeks. Her own sought out the hem of his t-shirt, her nails lightly scratching at his back.

James shivered beneath her touch. Erin grinned, her self-esteem growing ten fold as his eyes darkened to the darkest of greens.

"How long do you think we have?", James asked, a tingling sensation rushing through him that told him Erin had, quite effectively, kicked all of his common sense well and truly out the window.

"We've at least five minutes before Clare and Michelle sort themselves out or kill each other", she informed him smugly, before rising up on her toes and promptly deciding that not another second should be wasted on chatting. "I trust you'll make 'em count."

Tilting their heads just in the nick of time to avoid nose bonkage, Erin and James's hungry lips collided...softly at first, then all at once.

It was like walking on air.

 _Things escalated fast..._ Blood pounded in their ears and the earth as good as shook.

James's felt his legs turn to the wibbliest of jelly.

The young English fella was convinced he and Erin would have completely collapsed on the spot if they hadn't been so firmly pinned to one another chest to thigh, leaning heavily against the stairs. Not an inch between them, bodies pressed together. Erin was snogging the living daylights out of James, the fella who was one of her best mates in the whole world!

 _...and it was class!_ Pure mental, but more craic than either of them had thought possible!

The whole experience _(lock, stock and barrel),_ completely knocked her previous encounters with her pillow ( _purely for training purposes!_ ) right out of the park.

Letting out a strangled little sound, Erin felt James's soft smile explode against her mouth. He was kissing her ( _really feckin' kissing her!)_ and it was quickly becoming next-door-near impossible for her to think coherently anymore.

James lips pressed firmly against hers, coaxing her mouth open.. _..holy mother of f—_

He let out a deep moan as Erin's teeth sunk gently into his bottom lip, fingertips brushing the waistband of his pants. In the brief moments of separation, their breathing was ragged and their grins infectious. 

Erin hauled James decidedly closer ( _proper going for it, like!)_ and his hands slipped away from her face to rest upon the backs of her thighs. Their tongues touched, tentatively at first...before getting the hell in there! 

Collectively, Erin and James were not bringing much prior knowledge to the table. Nevertheless, what the young couple didn't have in experience, they made up for in messy uncoordinated enthusiasm.

They were both more than eager to put the hours in...to put their heads together and figure out what the actual fuck needed doing!

It was too bad that their abilities to remain conscious of their surroundings in compromising situations hadn't been given even half as much time and effort...

Silence fell at the other side of the wall.

"Feck's sake", Michelle grumbled, her bickering with Clare's evidently having reached it's end. "Where are those two eejits?"

The sound of footsteps echoed across the sitting room floor...dangerously close by.

"Maybe they're upstairs?"

 _Fuck_!

Erin and James stared at one another, mouths dropping open. Panting and red faced, they pulled apart... two deers caught in the headlights.

"Michelle's comin'!", Erin spluttered, springing into action and out of her boyfriend's arms. Her ears pounded...for a whole different reason this time. "Act natural, will ya?"

James didn't look natural...anything but. She put a finger to his lips, half expecting him to start narrating the whole mortifying situation aloud.

"That's not natural, James!"

He frowned somewhat defensively, his voice carrying just a twinge of sarcasm.

"Funny enough given the situation, I think the natural reaction would be panic!"

Erin stepped back, furiously flattening her hair and eyed an equally dishevelled James. Almost immediately, she spotted the reason for his discomfort.

_Oh Sweet Sufferin' Jesus and All Twelve of his Loony Mates! They were Fucked!_

"Where are ya goin' with that thing!", she hissed, eyeing the rather noticeable bulge in his jeans. In any other situation it would have been a cause for pride, now...not so much. "Put it away!"

James desperately avoided Erin's eye, trying to look anywhere but directly at her. Her pink cheeks, bruised lips and wild hair _(and knowing he'd been the reason behind all of the above)_ did absoutely nothing to help.

"It doesn't actually work like that!"

Growing frantic, Erin watched ( _in slow motion, mind!)_ as the handle of the door that lead from the hallway into the sitting room was pressed down.

There was only one thing for it... _Hide_! In a moment of insanity ( _or genius!),_ Erin fumbled for the door of her Ma's hot press under the stairs and pushed James—

"Ouch!"

—straight in!

"Jaysus Erin, yer not talkin' to yerself again are ya?", Michelle asked, appearing on the threshold of the sitting room door with a smirk. "Who's it this time? Terry Wogan or Gay Byrne? Speakin' of gay...where'd James go?"

Erin leaned casually against the door, willing her face to return to its usual colour. "He's...uhh..."

The sound of James fumbling around in the dark and crashing into a stack of her Ma's good bed linens betrayed her. _Ahh feck!_

Michelle quirked a mildly surprised eyebrow. After all, she already knew her friends and cousin were a weird lot.

"Is he hidin' in the press?"

Erin bit her lip, silently sending up a prayer to whatever saint she may still have some remaining ounce of credit with to get her and James out of this mess.

She reached for the hot press door, careful to reveal only the face and shoulders of her slightly discombobulated but still flustered looking boyfriend.

_Pantomine ensued..._

"Oh James, there ya are! I hadn't the slightest idea it was you in there."

Clearly annoyed about being shoved head-first into a swelteringly hot airing cupboard with a raging errection, James nonetheless played along with Erin's last minute ruse.

"Oh you know, I just thought I'd pop in and—."

Never able to let an opportunity pass, Michelle cut across her cousin with a snigger.

"Finally comin' outta the closet, eh?"

James sighed deeply, the irony of her comment not lost on him, especially given his and Erin's current predicament. "Honestly, Michelle! How many times do I have to tell you. I'm not g _—_ "

As though appearing by the power of some mystical force, Orla piped up unexpectedly from behind Michelle.

"You weren't lookin' for Narnia by any chance, James? I always had a feelin' it was in there."

However, the mortification wasn't complete until Clare appeared at the kitchen door, Deirdre Mallon's big bowel filled with popcorn in hand.

"James, why're ya hidin' in the press?", she asked, nose scrunched up in confusion. "Erin, are you feelin' okay? Yer fierce flushed."

The small blonde observed her two friends, the change in both of them that Michelle and Orla had clearly overlooked suddenly dawning on her.

She had known Erin fancied James...of course she did! _But this..._

Clare couldn't help but notice James's evident discomfort and how Erin looked as though she wanted nothing more than the ground to swallow her whole.

_Oh..._

As the pieces were clicking together for Clare, Erin exchanged a short but meaningful look with James.

They hadn't intended to keep the girls in the dark forever but a few more days goofing around together would have been nice. 

_Should they just bite the bullet? Rip the bandage off? Face the music?_

It was in that moment that the saints answered every single one of Erin's prayers...

For the first time in forever, her Ma's cracker timing actually came in handy!

A grumpy bedraggled Mary Quinn materialised at the top of the stairs, Erin's wee sister perched on her hip.

Erin found herself letting out a sigh of relief, tension loosening from her shoulders, and watched out of the corner of her eye as James reacted similarly.

With their friends' attention taken up by Mary, Erin reached for her boyfriend's hand through the door...smiling as James's fingers wrapped around hers.

_They were safe...for now._

"Christ sake, isn't it not bad enough Anna has me up all hours of the night, eh?"

Mary sighed deeply, regarding her daughter and niece with a steely glare before her eyes came to rest on the other three.

"One of these days I'm gonna start charging you lot rent!"

...

_I'm gonna call her on the telephone_

_Have her over 'cause I'm all alone_   
_I need excitement oh I need it bad_   
_And it's the best, I've ever had_

_I wanna hold her wanna hold her tight_   
_Get teenage kicks right through the night, all right_

_~The Undertones, Teenage Kicks._

_..._

* * *

**Thanks so much to everyone who has been reading so far, I really appreciate it. This chapter was a particularly tricky one for me and I was changing and humming and hawing with** **it for ages. Hope it turned out well!!**

**Wishing you and yours a lovely Christmas :)**


	7. I Really Like The Idea

**I Really Like The Idea**

_..._

_I'll take a walk in the park where I met you last Sunday_   
_You were an image of love, you were Sinatra in some ways_   
_I went weak at the knees and as we kissed I was falling_   
_Another voice in my head singing "Hey, hold your horses"_

_~I Really Like The Idea, Scarlet._

...

Even at the best of times, Erin and James had all the subtly of a pair of sledgehammers.

Lured to the max as a result of their unexpected get out of jail free card ( _in the shape of one Mary Quinn!_ ), the young couple were practically drunk on their own good fortune and thus ended up pushing the boundaries of their better judgement just a wee bit further than was sensible.

"We did well last night, eh?", Erin lorded smugly, squirming gracelessly to sandwich herself between James and the classroom wall.

Old and rickety to the point of disbelief, Our Lady Immaculate's practically ancient box-desks were uncomfortable at the best of times. However, since they'd given Erin a seemingly platonic reason to be half sitting on her fella's lap while they all faffed around before class...well, that was enough to make them a perfectly fine choice in her books.

James nodded eagerly, keeping his head down as they both pretended to be listening to Michelle ranting and raving about the antics of some fella in the Christian Brothers _(who by all accounts probably didn't even exist!)._ According to her the boy had an eyepatch, a full beard and at least ten piercings...at seventeen years old...in the nineties...in Derry. _A very likely story that was._..

"Really well", James agreed with an equally elated responding whisper as he took Erin's hand beneath the desk, leaving them both starry eyed, smiling and weak at the knees.

James puffed his chest out proudly as he recalled their top-notch display of acting skills in the hallway of the Quinn's house the night before.

In his opinion, he and Erin had been nothing short of spectacular! A true dream team...one of the many reason he felt himself falling for her a little bit more with every day that passed.

"Really really well."

"Really really really well."

Little did Michelle know that none of her mates were all that invested in her wild cock and bull tales that morning. Orla had already commenced an extensive roll call on her recently accumulated collection of sweets from Dennis's Wee Shop and Clare, strangely silent, was busy observing the goings-on between a certain _cozy cartel._

Even though it usually turned her into a nervous wreck, Clare Devlin had a good eye for funny business. It also helped that she knew her eejit friends like the back of her own hand and was painfully aware of the sort of stupid shite that they were liable to get themselves landed into.

Eyes narrowed slightly, Clare had initally disregarded her suspicions from the night before. True, she'd been well aware that there had definitely been some mutual fancying going on in the last number of weeks but Erin and James weren't daft enough to try and maintain a secret relationship, were they?

... _like a secret relationship? Requiring ACTUAL secrecy to maintain? In their group? Sure, that was never going to stay under wraps for long! Not a chance!_

Trying to capture her friends' attention, Clare kicked the nearest shin she could reach from the confines of her own desk...certain that she'd done so without Michelle or Orla being any the wiser.

"Feck's sake! What'd ya do th-", Erin huffed indignantly, catching Clare's eye as she reached down to rub her leg.

Her verbal explosion was only cut short by the frazzled look on the smaller blonde's face and, as a result, Erin shuffled as far away from James as she could without falling off their shared seat.

"WHAT?", she mouthed, feeling her face heat up guilty.

Clare gestured to both Erin and James, purposefully eyeing the door at the other end of the classroom. "Talk! Both of ye! Now!"

James's eyes ping-ponged between the two girls in confusion and watched as Erin grudgingly got up to follow Clare who was characteristically working herself up into a total state over the whole situation.

"C'mon", Erin hissed, her lips dropping to James's ear as she nudged him into a standing position. "Yer not leavin' me to deal with this on me own!"

James glanced up, immediately knowing from the startled look on Erin's face that Clare had copped on to a little more than they had originally anticipated.

"Of course not! I'll come."

Observing the mass exodus going down right before her very eyes, an affronted Michelle raised her eyebrows in surprise. She didn't particularly like it when her stories were cut off midway, especially not by the whole gang _(minus Orla who didn't seem all that bothered either way!)_ unexpectedly running off.

"The fuck's up with ye?"

James gulped, watching as Erin was practically frog-marched out of the room by Clare. Both of them now looking fit to explode, brimming with embarrassment and nerves respectively. Straining to hear, he could just about make out the whispered conversation going on by the door.

"A secret like this'll eat me up inside, Erin! I can't do it! I won't do it! No way _José_!"

"Stop with the gibberish, will ya Clare? We all know you did better than me at French!"

"That's not even french! And never mind about that! What in the name of God is goin' on with you and James? Be specific!"

Erin looked over at her boyfriend. In that moment, she wished the ground would just swallow her whole as her mind traitourously returned to the pretty cracker shenanigans between herself and James that had been cut short the evening previously.

Pointedly avoiding Clare's gaze, Erin's face was beet red and her voice was almost inaudible when she tried to respond.

"How specific are we talkin' here...?"

"Ach, not _that_ specific!"

His girlfriend's words were the last straw that effectively sent a bashful James rushing to his feet. He turned to his cousin apologetically, hoping beyond hope that his face didn't blatantly showcase his internal panic and that she'd hadn't overheard the same words he just had.

"Sorry, Michelle", James spluttered out, hurrying after Clare so he and Erin could properly set the record straight with the least amount of mutual mortification. "Can you give us a minute!"

Unamused, Michelle rolled her eyes.

She may not have been some freaky Mensa whizz but Michelle Mallon wasn't thick either! She knew when people were trying to pull the wool over her eyes and she didn't appreciate it! _Not in the slightest!_

"Dicks", she mumbled under her breath, looking to Orla for support as the other three sprinted from the room like a bunch of scatter-brained piglets being pursued by the big bad wolf.

Orla glanced up, eyes wandering from the sugary goodness of her Pick n' Mix for the first time that morning. The stick of her cola flavoured Chupa Chup hung off her bottom lip like the finest of cigars.

"Ooooh, Michelle. Look!", she announced unhelpfully, pulling out the lollipop with an audible pop as though having just taken a long and satisfying drag. "Where'd everyone go?"

_..._

_Sometimes good can be bad_   
_It's always horses for courses_   
_You held my hand and I smiled_   
_You know it made my heart sing._

_I really like the idea, I really like the idea._

_~I Really Like The Idea, Scarlet._

_..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly just to set up the next chapter. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed and read so far! 
> 
> Plenty of madness and a longer chapter to come :)


	8. Dreams

**Dreams**

...  
 _Do you hear what I'm saying_  
 _Gotta say how I feel_  
 _I can't believe you're here_  
 _But I know that you're real_

_I know what I want_   
_And baby it's you_   
_I can't deny my feelings_   
_Because they are true_

_~Dreams, Gabrielle._

_..._

With Michelle stuck in after-school detention for cursing at a wayward first year who'd wandered into the sixth year block, Orla having headed off to her beloved Step Aerobics class and Clare fulfilling her commitments to Our Lady Immaculate's chess club, one may think that a certain daft young couple would have promptly taken full advantage of their time alone.

However, considering the day they'd already had and the apprehensions plaguing both of their minds? ...let's just say that no activities worthy of Mary Quinn's ardent disapproval had even the slightest possibility of taking place.

_Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth..._

On the verge of burning a hole in the carpet, Erin huffed agitatedly and paced the length of her bedroom like her life depended on it. Their wee chat with Clare from earlier on that day ran circles around her mind, driving her absolutely mental.

_Back and forth and back and forth..._

"She'll kill us, so she will!", Erin ranted, eyes fixed straight ahead unseeing. "She'll _actually_ murder us! Like, we'll be proper _DEAD_ when she finds out!"

Michelle. She was talking about Michelle... _not exactly someone that either of them had ever imagined meeting their ends by._

Although it had been at the back of both Erin and James's minds ever since they'd started to catch feelings, a good firm talking to from Clare had hammered one thing well and truly home...

Finding out that her first cousin and one of her best mates had become _a little more than friendly_ would undoubtedly go down with Michelle Mallon just about as well as finding the whole Orange Order ( _accordion band and all!)_ parading through her bedroom at six o' clock in the morning. That combined with the lengths they'd gone to hide some of their more recent preoccupations, Erin and James were surely in for a shit show of epic proportions...

_Sweet sufferin' Jesus, they were so unbelievably fucked!_

Perched at the end of her bed beside a mountain of their unfinished homework James watched on in concern.

Already dizzy from Erin's wild and unpredictable movements, he was brought back to the morning they'd spent with the rest of the gang in the school's newspaper office brainstorming possible magazine articles relating to _'Celebrities That Look Like Animals_ ' and _'Shoes of the World'._

"Erin", he tried gently. "There's no need to p—"

Swinging around to face him, Erin cut James off mid-sentence with some bizarre cross between a hiccup and a choke. The sight of her wee English fella standing before her, all calm and collected in his school uniform, only fuelled the fire curling in the small blonde's belly even further.

"Don't you dare tell me not to panic, James!", she hissed. "It won't work! I'm brickin' it, so I am! Absolutely brickin' it!"

Still blustering and pacing, Erin reached the window and turned on her heel once again.

As much of a head wrecker as Michelle sometimes tended to be, they were best mates. The sort of mates who'd always known and loved one another without it every having needed saying. The sort of mates who'd had each others' backs and told each other everything from nappies up.

Clare had reminded her of that.

After years of mouthing off about their ( _let's be honest...)_ nonexistent love lives, Erin had never imagined that she would find herself hiding her first _real_ romantic relationship from her girls. True, Orla wouldn't have cared either way and Clare had actually seemed sort of supportive once the inital cack attack had subsided.

_But Michelle..._

The more Erin allowed herself to properly consider the conversation that she and James would wind up having with their little wolf pack's resident rebel, the more she completely completely lost the cool.

_But friends weren't knowingly supposed to hide the important shit from each other, were they?_

"Feck's sake!", Erin huffed, trying to hide the slight quiver in her bottom lip. "This is a right bloody mess!"

Deciding it was due time for him to pitch in, James hesitantly slid off the end of the bed and joined her in the middle of the room.

"Woah woah woah, it's alright", he assured, his touch against her lower back bringing her wild pacing to a gentle halt. "We'll tell them together, won't we? Just like we always planned to..."

Erin chewed worriedly on her bottom lip, feeling James's hands skate up and down her arms.

Perhaps not the most overtly romantic move on his part, the gesture had a homely kind of intimacy.

It almost reminded Erin of the small calming and boke-inducingly considerate gestures she grown up seeing pass between her Da and Ma _. (Usually by her Da when her Ma was spiralling into some predictably off-the-wall and unnecessary tangent!)_

"It's just all startin' to feel a wee bit realer now...", Erin admitted, letting out a shaky self-deflating breath and allowing her previously fidgeting hands to rest upon her boyfriend's chest.

True, they'd always known they'd have to let Michelle know at some point but telling her had always seemed like something that could be pushed to the end of the long finger if needed be. Now, Clare knew. And their poor friend was already cacking herself under the burden of that knowledge and the effort of keeping it to herself.

James shifted somewhat self consciously, his eyebrows pulling together.

"Bad real?"

Erin shook her head, cutting his emergent insecurity right at the bud. "No, not bad real!", she assured, her cheek settling into the crook of his neck. "Just really feckin' real..."

As she did, James's arms wrapped around her without another word, his fingers toying with the slightly messy end of her ponytail. They swayed against one another in their embrace for a few moments, silently processing the absolutely mental situation that they'd knowingly landed themselves into the middle of.

 _A right bloody mess_ as Erin had called it earlier...but a mess that would prove well and truly worthwhile once solved.

"We can't really go too wrong by coming clean, can we?", James asked after a while. "They do say honesty is the best policy."

Erin smirked against his shoulder. "Honesty?", she asked, pulling back slightly so she could face him. "So yer sayin' that I should tell Michelle, our Michelle, that I think her cousin's an absolute ride? That'd go great, so it would! Feckin' marvellous!"

James chuckled softly, his cheeks darkening bashfully at the unusually phrased roundabout compliment.

"Well, maybe not exactly like that..."

Erin snorted in vague amusement, burying her face back into his shoulder. In all honesty, she quite liked when James blushed. _The magic of fancying the pants off someone who fancied her just as much, eh?_

"Ach, James. Don't ya know yer cousin at all? No matter what we say, that's what Michelle'll hear. Mark my words..."

"We could always tell Clare that we're not ready yet?", James suggested, offering up their only remaining alternative.

Erin frowned at the suggestion, a suggestion that was undoubtedly an easier option for them in the meantime but one that still didn't feel quite right in their situation. It wouldn't be fair to Clare and would only make Michelle's finding out even worse in the long run.

"Are you ready, James?", she asked quietly.

He smiled earnestly, a look that made Erin's heart flutter. In that moment, James's mouth ran away on him a little, perhaps showcasing how she'd rubbed off on him a little more than they'd originally thought. "I guess, but you know, I'd wait however long you need. Forever, if I had to."

Raising her eyebrows, Erin gawked incredulously up at him. "Yeh would?"

James shuffled his feet, radiating earnestness and smiling openly at her surprise. "Of course."

Erin blinked, his confession throwing her for a loop with the possibility of stirring up a wee crisis. _Or another one, that is..._

_What the actual feck was James trying to do to her?_

Deep down, Erin knew the answer to that. Little by little, the gangly English fella standing in front of her was stealing her heart, stealing her heart without every properly realising that it was landing straight into his pocket.. _.and had been for quite a while._ James was her friend, her fella, someone who'd seen Erin at her best and worst and had stood by her regardless just as she would him.

Erin swatted him on the shoulder, not really knowing what else to do with the fumbling rush of emotions preparing to bust out of her at a mile a minute. "Prick..."

James yelped, rubbing his arm...more out of surprise than anything else. "Hey, what did I do?"

Having rehearsed such a moment ( _with countless different fellas, mind!_ ) in her head over the years, all romantic one liners deserted her.

James wasn't just a fella, he was _her fella..._ something that made all the difference.

Erin eyed him in equal parts accusing and expectant, the million pound statement spluttering out of her. "James Maguire...yer tryna make me fall for you!"

James's mouth fell open, somewhat in the style of your average neighbourhood goldfish. "Are you falling for me?", he returned instantly, his voice brimming with a shy hopefullness that spoke volumes and made her toes curl.

Erin drew herself up triumphantly at his still unspoken _not-quite-admission,_ but nevertheless squirmed under the question he'd levelled at her.

"Are you fallin' for me?"

"You first!"

"No, you!"

"Ladies first..."

"Maybe a wee bit..."

James chuckled awkwardly as he watched Erin turn scarlet. He pushed a little further, knowing from the slight glint of a challenge in her eye that she wanted him to. "Only a wee bit?"

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Erin couldn't help but smirk as James echoed her phrasing. While hearing James's fumbling attempts to imitate Derry slang had traditionally ellicted smirks and eye rolls in the past, now as he stood opposite her ( _looking at her in the way he currently was!)_ , Erin found him immeasurably adorable.

"Maybe a lot...", she replied, meaning every word.

Despite looking a little staggered, James smiled, a smile that lit up her whole sky.

"I'm falling for you too..."

Erin moved in faster than either of them had ever thought possible, not stopping until her and James's faces were but a hair's breadth apart and she was cradling his jaw. Her heart raced, threatening to explode with joy, and she found herself totally incapable of suppressing the biggest cheesiest grin as James's lips descended upon her own.

His school shirt all bunched between her fingers, Erin's back arched to accommodate his height. In response, James's hands slipped up her back to tangle in her hair with a kind of reverence she'd never felt before. Her nerves fired in his direction, their bodies buzzing, every fibre exclaiming a resounding celebratory ' _yes_ ' over and over again.

_And then they were kissing..._

It felt different that time, a perfect combination of the sweet and tender inexperience of their first kiss that somehow still incapsulated the fumbly heady desperation of every secret snogging session they'd had since. It seemed to go on forever in the best way possible.

_Holy fuck..._

With a powerhouse of feelings like that between them, surely telling the girls they had gotten together would be no bother all! _Happy days, eh?_ Surely, nothing could go wrong!

"Y'know what?", Erin asked lightheartedly, pulling away after their shared infinite moment.

"It's kinda unfair to make Clare spend any longer cackin' herself..."

James quirked an eyebrow, his arms still wrapped around her. They were supposed to meet the girls later in the café once Michelle had been let out by the nuns and Clare and Orla finished up for the evening. "You sure?"

Erin nodded determinedly, exuding a hint of her usual towering self-confidence for the the first time all evening. "I am, aye."

 _Together..._ they'd figure it all out together!

* * *

"Hello, Mrs Quinn!", James chirped as he and Erin filed into the kitchen sometime later. "I hope you had a nice day!"

Erin smirked, rolling her eyes slightly at her boyfriend's completely overkill but genuine show of politeness to her Ma.

True, James had always had the _'butter-wouldn't-melt'_ disposition down to a tee, but Erin couldn't help but notice his usual antics cranking up a few notchs around her family ever since they'd started going out.

_And to think of where his hands had been a few minutes earlier..._

Had Mary Quinn known, the wooden spoon would have been out and called to duty in the blink of an eye.

"Any news?"

"Devil a bit, son. Y'know yerself...", Mary replied, trying to coax soggy weetabix into a squirming Anna's mouth. The toddler had seemingly decided that waving at Erin and and James was a preoccupation much more worthy of her time than eating.

"Hi Anna!'

"Wee fecker...wee fecker...wee freessta fecker", the little girl chanted contentedly, sounding almost like a tiny Father Jack.

The more she moved, the more cereal she dribbled down her front—getting more on her clothes than her mother could ever hope to get into her mouth.

James frowned in confusion at Anna's babbling, certain he'd misheard something, before glancing over at Erin who just shrugged nonchalantly.

"Free State Fecker", she offered by means of explanation. "She picked it up from Granda when he was givin' Daddy a right tongue-lashin'. Someone's repeatin' everythin' she hears these days, ain't that right Anna?"

The little girl grinned up at her sister proudly, probably not fully understanding what Erin had said but enjoying the attention nonetheless.

With one nimble sweep, Anna promptly decided that supper time was to be finished with and overturned the plastic bowl in her mother's hand, absolutely clattering herself. Hair, clothes and all down her high chair. Gone, was Anna Quinn. She was replaced instead by a wee weetabix monster.

"For feck's sake!", Mary sighed before she could stop herself. "Ach, Love. Dont—"

"Feckkkk'ss sake!"

Erin poked James in the side, eyeing the front door purposefully.

It was best that they got out of the house before one of them _(her most likely!)_ said something that turned into Anna's mantra of the week. "Mammy, we're heading out to meet up with the girls. Is that okay—."

"No yer not!", Mary chided instantly with her signature no-nonsense frown. "Yer Da has a work-do on this evenin' and you and the girls said ye'd mind Anna for me."

"No we didn't!", Erin insisted, having absolutely no recollection of making such a promise.

As much as she loved Anna _(and she truly truly did!)_ , the wee'un was an absolute parrot at the moment...definitely not the best wee person to have around when she and James were trying to discreetly bring Michelle and Orla up to speed on their news.

"Can't Granda or Sarah watch her?"

Mary huffed at the mention of her father. Not only had Joe been encouraging all sorts of alternatives to 'Dada' for Anna to start calling Gerry, but she'd caught him buying home-distilled bottles of Poitín to ' _rub on his sore back'_ from Jim across the road. _..a right load of balls, that_!

"Da has his big quiz night down at the pub and Sarah's workin' late with Marion Donnelly's young wan's weddin' tomorrow."

"But Mammy—"

"Ach, no buts Erin! And make sure you keep a lid on Michelle's mouth, eh? We don't want Anna repeating the things that wee hallion says...no offense to yer cousin, James."

"None taken, Mrs Quinn."

Erin huffed frustratedly, knowing full well that any argument she managed to put forward would be out-gunned effortlessly by her Ma. "Ach, fine. But y'know you can't expect me to go puttin' a lid on Michelle's mouth? Sure, she can hardly do that herself!"

"Yeah well", Mary dismissed, reaching for a cloth to mop down a very self-satisfied looking Anna. "God loves a trier..."

...  
 _Dreams can come true_  
 _Look at me babe, I'm with you_  
 _You know you gotta have hope_  
 _You know you gotta be strong_

_~Dreams, Gabrielle._

...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My longest chapter on this story yet, I believe! I'm fairly happy with how to turned out so I'd love to hear what ye think! 
> 
> Have a great week :)


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